Paper-folding machine.



No. 640,571. Patented lan.52, |900.

H. K. KING. 1 PAPER FDLDING MACHINE.

Attorney.

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(Appliqstion led Aug. 27, 1897.)

(No Model.)

Wltnesses No. 640,571. Patented Jan. 2, |900. H. K. KING.

PAPER FOLDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 27, 1897.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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Attorney.

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Patented lan. 2

H. K. KING.,

PAPER FOLDING MAcHlN-E.

(Application led Aug. 27, 1887.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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./ Attorney.

Witnesses.

HOWARD K. KING, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHAMBERSBROTHERS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PAPER-FOLDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,571, dated January2, 190.

Application filed August 2 '7, 1 8 9 7.

To all wiz/om, it may concern:

Beit known'that I, HOWARD K. KING, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPaper-Folding Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, ofWhich- Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a plan view, the packing-trough beingin oneposition 5 Fig. 2, Sheet 2, a rear end elevation; Fig. 3, a sideelevation; Fig. 4, Sheet 3, a section as on line w w, Fig. 2, butshowing the packing-trou gh in the other position at right angles tothat shown in the preceding figures; Fig. 5, Sheet 1, a vertical sectionon line cc, Fig. 2 5 Fig. 6, Sheet 1, a full horizontal section on liney y, Fig. 3; Fig. 7, a horizontal section on line z c, Fig. 3.

This invention relates to that well-known class of folding-machineswherein the sheets of paper fed into the machine are carried by tapesover folding-rollers and are tucked into the bite of the latter byvibrating blades and the iinally-folded-sheets fall into apackingtrough. It is sometimes desirable to give to the sheet a finalfold by a set of rollers and sometimes to carry it over from the latterto another set of rollers, which impart an additional and lnal fold tothe sheet at right angles to the previous fold.

The main object of my invention is to provide, in combination with thesaid two sets of folding-rollers, a single packing-trough adapted to beused in connection With either set and means for imparting the usualreciprocation to the plunger of the said trough, the arrangement andconstruction being such, as hereinafter described, that the trough isadapted to be turned to either one of two positions at right angles toeach other in order to bring it into proper line for the reception ofthe folded sheets coming from the one or the other set offolding-rollers, as may be required, and` at the same time permitting ofthe proper operation of the plunger and its actuating mechanism ineither position of the trough.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which are shown only suchparts of a folding- Serial No. (549)702. (No model.)

machine as I deem necessary to a clear understanding of my invention,lis the main frame of the machine; 2,the main shaft,which is driven froma suitable source of power and which through gear connections 3 and 4drives a shaft 5, Vthat actuates the foldingblades and also the plungerof the packingtrough through intermediate mechanism, such as hereinafterdescribed. As the means for operating the said blades are Well known andform no part ot' my invention, I shall not describe the same.

6 is a set of folding-rollers, and 7 is a similar set of rollersdisposed at right angles to the former, as seen most clearly in Fig. 1.These setsV of rollers are driven and operate in the ordina-ry way.

8 is the packing-trough, which is mounted about midway of its lengthupon a vertical rotatable cylindrical post 9, or more precisely upon theend of a bracket 10, Figs. 2 and 3, extending from the latter in suchposition, as shown, with relation to the rollers 6 and 7 that when it(the trough) is at right angles to one set of rollers it will be inposition to properly receive the sheets from that set and when turned onits pivot at right angles to the second set of rollers it will likewisebe in position to receive the sheets from that set.

11 is the usual reciprocative plunger (shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4) Yandwhich in this instance is adapted to pack both ways. The plunger-rod12,which extends lengthwise with the trough and is adapted to slide inthe usual guideways projecting from the trough, is connected to an arm13 by a rod or pitman (not designated in the drawings) running beneaththe trough and pivoted to a stud depending from the plunger-rod 12 andto the free end of the arm 13, respectively, as seen in Fig. 3 andindicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 4. The hub 14 of arm 13 isjournaled on a vertical stud 15, that is ,fixed to the top or head ofpost 9 and is connected with the latter. Hub 14 h as also two arms 16and 17, respectively,which are substantially at ri ght, angles to eachother, as a bell-crank.

18 is a vertical rock-shaft journaled in bearings of a part of themachine-frame. 19 are IOO two arms projecting from this shaft and con-21 is a horizontal pitman, one end of which is loosely pivoted to rod20, so as to be capable of sliding thereon, and its other end is adaptedto be pivoted interchangeably to arms 16 and 17 by means in the presentinstance of a pin 22, that is adapted to be passed through lugs orbifurcations 23 of either one of the said two arms and also through anaperture in the end or cross-head of the pitman.

The rock-shaft is oscillated by means of an ordinary strap-eccentric 24(indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3) on the rotatable shaft 5 throughan arm 25, one end of which is fixed to said shaft and its other end isconnected to the strap of the eccentric bya rod 26, that is suitablypivoted to the latter and to the arm 25, as shown.

For taking up lost motion I employ a spiral compression-spring 27 on arod 28, one end of which is pivotally connected to an extension of rod20, and its other end is adapted toslide in a suitable guide (not shown)of the frame ofthe. machine, the spring bearing against a head 29 on thesaid rod 28 and against the guide.

The sheets fed into the machine to be folded and packed are carried inthe usual way by tapes (not shown) and are stopped bya suitable stop(also not shown) in position over the folding-rollers 6 to be tuckedbetween them by a folding-blade B, and the packingtrough having beendisposed at right angles with said rollers, as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, thesheets Will successively fall into the trough and will be packed thereinby the reciprocating plunger through the action of the eccentric 24 andthe described chainof mechanism intervening between the latter and theplunger., When the trough is in this position with relation to therollers 6, the pitman 21 is oonnected to the arm 16, as shown in thesaid figures. If, however, it be desired to give an additional fold atright angles to the first fold to the sheet that has passed through therollers 6, I carry the sheet as it leaves these rollers, by means ofsuitably arranged and` driven tapes running over the said rollers in theusual way in foldingmachinesover to and above the other setof rollers7Which are in a lower horizontal plane than the other set, and the sheetis tucked between rollers 7 by a vibrating blade C. Vhen this additionalor second fold is not required, the said tapes are notused-that is tosay, they are removed. In preparing to carry the sheet between rollers 7I first disconnect the pitman from arm 16 by withdrawing the pin 22,then,

swing around the packing-trough on its pivot (the post 9) toa positionat right angles to its previousposition-that is, at right angles withrollers 7-and then connect the pitman with the other arm 17, as seen inFig. 4.

It will be obvious that by the construction andarrangement hereinbeforedescribed the plunger will be properly reciprocated in either positionof the packing-trough.

As the batches of sheets to be folded and packed may vary in size, it isdesirablel that the trough be capable of being adjusted vertically inorder to insure the proper reception of the sheets as they descend intothe trough without affecting the operation of the plunger-actuatingmechanism. This adjustment may be readily effected by the constructionshown in the drawings and now to be described.

The post 9 is adapted to turn in a box or bearing 30 of a cross-bar 31of the frame of the machine. At oneside of the box is a vertical slot32, into which is entered a toothed rack 33, that is confined at top andbottom by and between peripheral flanges 9 of said post, the inner edgeof the rack resting against the latter, constituting a part, so to say,of the interior circumference of the box. Thus when the post is rotatedthe rack cannot rotate with it. 34 is a pinion whose shaft 35 is.journaled in a cylindricall box 36, :fixed to. the cross-bar 3l, andwhose teeth engagethose of the rack. By turning a hand-wheel 37 on theend of the pinion-shaft the rack, and consequently the post and so thepacking-trough, may be raised or lowered, it beingmaintained at anyadjustment by means of a suitable stop. device-such, for example, as bya ratchet-wheel 38 on the said shaft and a pawl 39, pivoted to the box36. As the pitman 21 slides on the rock-shaft rod 20, when the trough,the., are moved vertically it (the pit-V man) is capable'of performingitsv function at any and all adjustments of the packing trough.

I remark that it is advisable to limitr the extent of rotationof thepivot-post in order to insure the properspositionsof the packingtroughwith relation to each set of the folding-rollers. For this purpose Iemploy two studs 40, that project from the top of the lower flange ofthe post andare so disposed, as shown, that one of them willstrike'against the side of the rack 33 when the trough has reached oneof its positions and the other against the opposite side of the rackwhen the trough has been turned to the other position.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that. there is aset of rollers (marked 41) similar to rollers 6 andr located directlybeneath the latter and substantially in the same horizontal plane asrollers 7. The sole purpose of these rollers 41 is. to carry thedropping-pointof the sheets from the rollers 6 nearer to thepacking-trough, so that they will not fail to take their proper positionin the trough-in short, to cause the sheets to drop substantially thesamedistance whether they are folded by rollers 6 only or also byrollers 7, for as the sheets pass from the former rollers 6 they enterbetween the rollers 4l, and thence fall into the trough. Thesesupplemental rollers may, however, sometimes be dispensed with.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentl. In a folding-machine, the combination of the twosets of folding-rollers and the horizontally-rotatable packing-trough,all relatively arranged as shown and described, the plunger, the armconnected therewith and pivoted to a suitable support, the two arms atright angles with each other and connected with the first-mentioned arm,the rock-shaft, means for oscillating the same at predeterminedintervals,together with the pitman connected with said rock-shaft, andadapted to be pivotally connected with either one of said two arms,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a folding-machine, the combination of the two sets offolding-rollers and the horizontally-rotatable, vertically-ad j ustablepacking-trough, all relatively arranged as shown and described, theplunger, the arm connected therewith and pivoted to a suitable support,the two arms at right angles with each other, and connected with thefirst-mentioned arm, the rock-shaft, means for oscillating the same atpredetermined intervals, together with the pitman having avertically-sliding connection with said rock-shaft, and adapted to beinterchangeably connected to either of said two arms, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

3. In a folding-machine, the combination of the two sets offolding-rollers, 6 and 7, and the horizontallyrotatable andvertically-adjustable packing-trough, all arranged relatively as shownand described, the plunger and means for actuating the same in any ofthe vertical or horizontal positions to which the trough may beadjusted, together with the supplemental set of rollers between whichthe sheets folded by said rollers, 6, are adapted to pass and thencedrop into the packingtrough, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.l

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of therotatable, verticallymovable post, the packing-trough secured thereto,and means for adjusting vertically said post, the same consisting of thenon-rotatable rack connected to said post, the rotatable pinion/engagingsaid rack, and means for maintaining said post in any adjustmentthereof, all constructed, combined and adapted to operate substantiallyas and for the purpose described. f

5. In a folding-machine, the combination of the two sets offolding-rollers, the rotatable and vertically-adjustable post, thepacking-trou gh secured thereto,the plunger adapt ed to reciprocate insaid trough, the arm pivoted to said post, substantially concentrictherewith, and having its free end suitably connected with said plunger,the two arms substantially at right angles with each other and connectedto the first-mentioned arm, the rock-shaft, means for oscillating thesame at predetermined intervals, and the pitman having avertically-sliding connection with said rock-shaft and adapted to beinterchangeably connected to either of said two arms, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two sub; scribing witnesses.

HOWARD K. KING.

Witnesses:

WALTER C. PUsEY, .I osHUA PUsEY.

